Tornadoes · United States · Indiana

Tornadoes in Saint Joseph County, Indiana

34 tornadoes have crossed Saint Joseph County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 12th of the 92 counties in Indiana with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.2 years. They have killed 48 people and injured 457. 1 was rated F4 or EF4 and above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Now

Tornadoes
34
Deaths
48
Injuries
457
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, April 11, 1965

The deadliest in Saint Joseph County

  1. F4 Twin Lakes tornado, IndianaApril 11, 196536 killed, 321 injured
  2. F3, Starke, Marshall, Saint Joseph and Elkhart counties, IndianaApril 11, 196510 killed, 82 injured
  3. F3, Saint Joseph, Berrien, Cass and Saint Joseph counties, Indiana and MichiganOctober 24, 20011 killed, 2 injured
  4. F2, LaPorte and Saint Joseph counties, IndianaOctober 24, 20011 killed

The strongest

  1. F4 Twin Lakes tornado, IndianaApril 11, 1965F4, 37.0 mi (60 km)
  2. F3, Saint Joseph, Berrien, Cass and Saint Joseph counties, Indiana and MichiganOctober 24, 2001F3, 47.0 mi (76 km)
  3. F3, Saint Joseph and Elkhart counties, IndianaApril 30, 1962F3, 36.5 mi (59 km)
  4. F3, Starke, Marshall, Saint Joseph and Elkhart counties, IndianaApril 11, 1965F3, 35.6 mi (57 km)
  5. F3, Saint Joseph County, IndianaNovember 26, 1965F3, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  6. F2, LaPorte and Saint Joseph counties, IndianaOctober 24, 2001F2, 35.0 mi (56 km)
  7. F2, Saint Joseph and Elkhart counties, IndianaJune 24, 1958F2, 7.3 mi (12 km)
  8. F2, Saint Joseph and Elkhart counties, IndianaOctober 24, 2001F2, 4.6 mi (7 km)
  9. F2, Saint Joseph County, IndianaJune 28, 1980F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)
  10. F2, Saint Joseph County, IndianaJune 12, 1954F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 26 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Saint Joseph County. Each year links to every tornado in Indiana that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF0
20241EF0
20212EF1
20201EF1
20192EF0
20162EF0
20071EF0
20041F0
20031F1
2001425F3
19981F0
19971F0
19911F0
19891F0
19851F1
19801F2
19741F1
19691F1
19681F0
19671F1
1965346403F4
1962149F3
19581F2
19561F0
19541F2
19501F0

Every tornado that crossed Saint Joseph County

34 tornadoes, newest first. The 1 at the top is this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and its rating is marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 17, 202612:51 AM EDTEF0Saint Joseph1.3200
September 24, 20245:49 PM EDTEF0Saint Joseph0.3125$25,000
October 3, 20213:47 PM EDTUnratedSaint Joseph0.01
June 21, 20212:07 AM EDTEF1Saint Joseph1.1100$20,000
August 10, 20206:32 PM EDTEF1Saint Joseph2.4100
June 23, 20198:38 PM EDTEF0Saint Joseph2.0250
June 23, 20198:32 PM EDTEF0Saint Joseph0.510
October 12, 20166:30 PM EDTEF0Saint Joseph0.140
October 12, 20166:26 PM EDTEF0Saint Joseph1.330
May 15, 20074:45 PM EDTEF0Saint Joseph2.150$13,000
July 3, 20047:37 PM ESTF0Saint Joseph0.125
August 26, 20032:40 PM ESTF1Saint Joseph0.133$10,000
October 24, 20014:05 PM ESTF1Saint Joseph5.450$350,000
October 24, 20014:05 PM ESTF2Saint Joseph4.61,3203$2.2 million
October 24, 20013:50 PM CDTF3Saint Joseph to MI47.01,32012$8.8 million
October 24, 20013:15 PM CDTF2LaPorte35.01,7601$1.0 million
July 3, 19989:30 PM ESTF0Saint Joseph0.130
August 16, 19978:22 PM ESTF0Saint Joseph0.530
May 31, 19915:30 PM ESTF0Saint Joseph0.210
June 3, 19898:48 AM ESTF0Saint Joseph4.020$50,000 to $500,000
September 9, 19854:22 PM ESTF1Saint Joseph1.340$500,000 to $5 million
June 28, 19802:57 AM ESTF2Saint Joseph0.110$500,000 to $5 million
April 12, 19749:28 PM ESTF1Saint Joseph0.110
June 30, 196912:30 PM GMT-4F1Saint Joseph0.110$5,000 to $50,000
June 23, 19687:10 PM GMT-5F0Saint Joseph0.110$5,000 to $50,000
October 24, 19676:40 PM GMT-5F1Saint Joseph0.1100$500 to $5,000
November 26, 19659:46 PM GMT-5F3Saint Joseph1.070$50,000 to $500,000
April 11, 19657:10 PM GMT-5F4Twin Lakes tornado37.033336321
April 11, 19654:45 PM GMT-6F3Starke35.62501082$5 million to $50 million
April 30, 19623:00 PM GMT-5F3Saint Joseph36.51049$50,000 to $500,000
June 24, 19586:26 PM GMT-5F2Saint Joseph7.310$5,000 to $50,000
July 22, 19562:40 AM GMT-5F0Saint Joseph0.110
June 12, 19541:00 PM GMT-5F2Saint Joseph0.110$500 to $5,000
July 3, 19507:20 PM GMT-5F0Saint Joseph0.110

Nearby

Warnings in force in Saint Joseph CountyThe forecast for Saint Joseph CountyThe live radar over Saint Joseph CountyEvery county in Indiana

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.